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Wickel 5
Taylor M. Wickel
Strategic Communications
Elon University
Abstract
This study focused on why the act of taking selfies and posting them to the Internet is a factor leading to an
increase in narcissistic and selfish behaviors. This study examined whether the Millennial Generation believes
the selfie phenomenon is a contributor to the rise in narcissism. A 12-item survey was administered to 93
female college participants. A single open-ended question asked whether respondents found their behavior
in posting selfies to be narcissistic. This study found that 55% of participants agreed that posting of selfies to
different social networking platforms encouraged their narcissism and selfish behaviors.
I. Introduction
Named Word of the Year in 2013 by the Oxford English Dictionary, the term selfie has become ubiq-
uitous in the vocabulary of nearly every teen and young adult in the technological world. A selfie is defined as
a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via
social media (Oxford Dictionary, 2013). For the Millennial Generation (Gen Y), the act of taking selfies and
overall usage of various social media platforms are an integral part of life. The Millennial Generations com-
fort with social platforms has given this specific age group a more positive view of how social media might be
affecting their lives. Studies, however, link social media use in young adults to various behavior development
issues (Noor Al-Deen & Hendricks, 2012).
Millennials, aged from 18 to 33, are hyper-connected, but typically exhibit little awareness of or
concern for others except as an audience. A study by San Diego State University professor Twenge shows
that narcissism levels have risen steadily during the past few decades, making the Millennial Generation,
also known as Generation Me, more selfish and self-absorbed than any other previous generation (Fires-
tone, 2012). Narcissism is typically illustrated as a tendency to believe ones self to be superior to others, to
persistently pursue admiration from others, and to participate in egotistic thinking and behavior (Panek, Nardis
& Konrath, 2013). Taking selfies and sharing photos on popular social media platforms like Facebook and
Twitter are considered to be one of the biggest contributors to the rise in narcissistic behavior among Millen-
nials. According to a study the Pew Research Centers Internet & American Life Project using a nationally
representative phone survey, adolescents in the United States are sharing more personal information than
ever on social media.
This undergraduate project was conducted as a partial requirement of a research course in communications.
6 The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, Vol. 6, No. 1 Spring 2015
An additional study investigating the relationship between social media use, empathy and narcissism
found that for both males and females, posting, tagging, and commenting on photos were associated with
higher narcissism scores (Alloway, Runac, Qureshi & Kemp, 2014). Buffadi, a postdoctoral researcher at the
Universidad de Dueto in Bilbao, Spain, wrote, Narcissists use Facebook and other social networking sites
because they believe others are interested in what theyre doing, and they want others to know what they are
doing (Firestone, 2012).
This study aimed to examine how social media has changed our developmental and behavioral
personalities, and how social media, specifically the act of taking and posting selfies, is deemed to be a main
contributor to the rise in narcissistic behaviors in recent generations. Additionally, this study explored how the
Millennial Generation thinks about the act of taking and posting these self-portraits to social networking sites.
measure their status through the number of likes a photo or a status update garners. As a way to acquire
the maximum number of likes, Facebook users will manipulate and change their profile content. If users do
not achieve the number of desired likes on a photo, they may remove the photo from their profile (Duggan &
Smith, 2013).
Managing and revising ones online profile content is a vital aspect of an adolescents online identity
and e-personality (Aboujaoude, 2011).As a way to manage the content on ones online profile, 59% have
deleted or edited something that they posted in the past, 53% have deleted comments from others on their
profile or account and 45% have removed their name from photos that have been tagged to identify them
(Duggan & Smith, 2013). In addition, this same study found that nearly 52% of adolescents online express
they have had an experience through a social networking site that boosted their confidence (Duggan & Smith,
2013).
In addition to Facebook, Millennials have increasingly relied on Twitter over the past few years to
express their desire or curate their online personas. Nearly 24% of online youths used Twitter, up from 16% in
2011 (Duggan & Smith, 2013). Teens who expressed interest in sites, such as Twitter and Instagram, stated
that they felt like they could better express their social identity on these platforms because they did not feel
the pressure of upholding the same social expectations that Facebook generates (Beasley, B., & Haney).
Some Millennials tend to pay more attention to other social networking sites, such as Twitter, as a way to
escape the drama and pressure they feel that Facebook elicits. Nevertheless, these same teens still manage
to stay active on Facebook, in addition to other social profiles (Smith & Zickuhr, 2012).
III. Methodology
For this survey, the author emailed a link to an online survey to all of Elon Universitys on-campus
female Panhellenic Greek organizations, which included nine sororities. Female students involved in Greek
life were selected after considering that these college students tend to prioritize social interaction and relation-
ships. The supposition here is that this sample of women would have a surplus of experience with taking self-
ies and tend to have a higher-than-average involvement in their generation with social networking platforms.
The email recipients were asked to complete the 12-question survey as honestly as possible to help the
author obtain a broad understanding of how the general population thinks in regard to this subject. All partici-
pants were promised confidentiality to ensure honest responses.
8 The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, Vol. 6, No. 1 Spring 2015
Questions
The survey questions asked if participants think that the selfies they take contribute to potential nar-
cissism, and the extent to which they think that social media encourages such behavior.
Other survey questions include:
How often do you post selfies to social networking platforms?
Do you determine a persons social standing and popularity based on how many likes or comments
they receive on a photo or status update?
If you do not receive the amount of likes you had hoped on a photo, will you take it off the social net-
working platform? (For the entire questionnaire, refer to Appendix A.)
One open-ended question -- Do you think that posting selfies to different social networking platforms
encourages you to partake in narcissistic and selfish behaviors? was asked to elicit participants personal
responses on motives for posting selfies. Each response was coded to determine the most common reasons
behind why or why not participants thought that posting selfies to different social networking platforms encour-
aged their narcissism and selfish behaviors.
IV. Findings
Asked about their daily Internet usage, specifically their daily use of social networking sites such
as Facebook and Twitter, 73.5% of 93 Elon University respondents reported that they check or update their
online profiles more than five times a day, as shown in Figure 1 below, followed by those who checked their
profiles four or five times a day (12.6%).
Figure 1. Number of times the participant checks social networking platforms a day
Nearly all the participants in this survey (97.8%) reported that they determine another persons
popularity based on how many likes or comments that persons profile picture or status update receives. Ad-
ditionally, 90.2% of the survey participants reported that they post pictures of themselves to social networking
sites for the sole reason of receiving likes and comments from their online friends. However, only 15.7% of
participants expressed that they have or would take a picture down from a social networking platform if they
did not receive enough positive feedback, and the majority of participants (60.3%) said that they would allow
the photo to remain on the platform.
Narcissism and Social Networking Sites: The Act of Taking Selfies by Taylor M. Wickel 9
When participants were asked an open-ended question if they thought that posting selfies to various
social networking platforms encouraged their narcissism and selfish behaviors, the respondents had a wide
variety of answers. More than half (55%) answered with a definitive yes. Selected answers to this open-
ended question included the following:
I can honestly say that I am 100% guilty of participating in selfish and narcissistic behaviors when
I post selfies to the Internet. My main reason for posting selfies is to let people know that I have a social life
and to make it seem like I am constantly doing something fun or cool. I feel like it boosts my social status.
Yes, I believe that the phenomenon of posting selfies to social networking sites has contributed to
the rise in narcissism. I personally know that the driving force behind posting selfies to Facebook for me is the
satisfaction of getting likes and comments on how good I look in the picture and how pretty I am.
Despite the high correlation between selfies and narcissism, many respondents argued that selfies
did not promote narcissistic behavior. As shown in Table 2, the most common reason for this belief was that
they are simply keeping friends and family up to date on their lives, followed by keeping memories and feeling
good about themselves. Contrary to their argument, all three most common reasons can be interpreted as
indicators of narcissistic behavior.
Table 2. Reasons participants offered for responding no
Number of times the
Reasons for posting the selfie phrase or reason
was mentioned
Posting selfies allows me to keep my friends and family updated on my life. 20
I post selfies for myself as a way to keep memories. 12
Posting selfies to social networking platforms makes me feel good about myself. 10
Previous studies judged posting images to social networking platforms because users believe people
are genuinely interested is an indicator of narcissistic behavior (Alloway, Runac, Qureshi & Kemp, 2014).
However, participants may not be aware that they are demonstrating behaviors that are associated with
narcissism (Carpenter, 2012). Previous studies suggest that narcissism is recognized in combination with the
use of individual communication as a technique for self-enhancement and self-promotion (Panek, Nardis &
Konrath, 2013).
The most common reason participants responded no was the thought that posting selfies allows
them to keep friends and family updated. This reason could easily be noted as an aspect of self-promotion,
which correlates with narcissism. As distinguished in the literature review, this reason could be perceived as a
way for the participants to keep the focus of their profiles content undeniably on themselves, which is seen as
a narcissistic act (Aboujaoude, 2011).
Another common reason, Posting selfies to social networking platforms makes me feel good about
myself, is an undeniable indicator of narcissism. Regardless of whether the respondents admit to it or not,
they are participating in these selfish behaviors. They feel this way because posting selfies to social network-
ing sites boosts their self-confidence and overall thoughts about themselves. This response correlates with
the Pew Research studys conclusion that 52% of adolescents online express they have had an experience
through a social networking site that boosted their confidence (Duggan & Smith, 2013). Relying on social
networking sites as a way to make a person feel good about themselves indicates self-important behaviors
associated with narcissism.
Almost all participants (87.8%) responded that the use of social networking platforms as a way to
maintain and build social relationships has changed how society interacts and perceives others. The majority
of participants (60.6%) also determined that the Millennial Generation puts too much energy and effort into
creating their online persona. Among participants, only a quarter (25.4%) reported that they believe an online
profile is a true depiction of a person.
Conclusion
The Millennial Generation uses social media to generate and maintain not only personal relation-
ships, but also their own idealized personas. With social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter being
their main channel for social interaction, it is not surprising to find that many Millennials feel the need to pres-
ent themselves in ways that attract the most attention from their peers.
Based on a survey with 93 college women involved in Greek life at Elon University, this study ad-
dressed the fundamental relationship between narcissism and social media. The survey results showed that
the majority of participants believe that taking and posting selfies online encourages narcissistic and selfish
behaviors. In addition, the study showed that participants think posting selfies is beneficial to them.
In a new phenomenon, this study reveals the connection between taking selfies and the rise in narcis-
sistic behaviors in the Millennial Generation. Narcissism is characteristically defined as incessantly pursue
adoration from others, and to participate in egotistical thinking and behavior (Panek, Nardis & Konrath,
Narcissism and Social Networking Sites: The Act of Taking Selfies by Taylor M. Wickel 11
2013). As shown in both Figure 1 and Figure 2, the majority of the participants responses correspond with the
definition of narcissism. For participants who responded yes to the open-ended question, their reasons for
doing so lean toward the incessant need and desire to obtain attention and gratification from their audience.
Similarly, participants on the opposite side also responded in ways that can be interpreted as having the ego-
tistical thinking and behaviorial aspect of narcissism.
Limitations to this study include the relatively small number of survey participants, as well as the depth
of the survey questions. Follow-up personal interviews would have provided a better understanding of how the
Millennial Generation perceives the new trend and phenomenon of posting selfies to social networking plat-
forms. Future research might include in-depth interviews, as well as the inclusion of young male participants.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to extend thanks to Dr. Glenn Scott, associate professor of communications at
Elon University, for all his help and guidance through the process of this study. Additionally, the author thanks
the individuals who took the time to review this article for publication.
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12 The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, Vol. 6, No. 1 Spring 2015
2. Do you determine a persons social standing and popularity based off how many likes or comments they
receive on a photo or status update?
a. yes b. no
3. If you do not receive the amount of likes you had hoped on a photo, will you take it off the social networking
platform?
a. yes b. no
4. Does the potential for positive feedback and number of likes you could receive on a picture encourage you
to post your selfie to a social networking platform.
a. yes b. no
5. Does posting selfies on social networking platforms help you feel empowered and important amongst your
friends and family?
a. yes b. no
6. Do you think that posting selfies to different social networking platforms encourages you to partake in nar-
cissistic and selfish behaviors? (Open-ended question)
7. Do you believe that the use of social networking platforms as a way to maintain and build social relation-
ships has changed the way we as a society interact and perceive others?
a. yes b. no
8. Do you believe the Millennial Generation puts too much energy and effort into creating an online persona
for themselves?
a. yes b. no
9. Do you think that an online profile is a true depiction of who a person really is?
a. yes b. no
10. Have you ever had an experience with a social networking platform that boosted your confidence or made
you feel good about yourself?
a. yes b. no
11. Have you ever altered a photo of yourself as a way of making yourself seem more attractive or desirable?
a. yes b. no